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I have over 3,000 miles on a set of FSC-50CAs (alloy brake track, Novatec hubs, CX-Ray spokes) clinchers. These weigh 1,540g for the set without tires or skewers so they're pretty light for this type of wheel. I weigh ~150 pounds for reference.

Long story short, these wheels have been pretty terrific. I have not had to touch them with a spoke wrench despite the fact that I use them as everyday training wheels and haven't been gentle with them. The rims are quiet rolling. They're stiff wheels, no brake rub out of the saddle.

Two complaints:There's slight pulsing in the braking on one of the rims. It's a little annoying but perfectly ridable.I had to overhaul the rear cassette body right out of the box as it had metal filings in it and didn't run at all. Farsports should have caught this. However, 20 minutes and a little Shimano freehub lube later it was fixed and it's been working fine. Very easy job to fix.

Overall, very pleased with these wheels. Quite a deal at less than $600 shipped. I'll continue to ride the crap out of them.

I have a cheapo set of 50mm China clinchers, on novatech hubs. I bought them used and dont know where they are from. There is a problem with the front wheel breaking on the front there is a slight pulsing sensation. I had it in a pro wheel stand with my brother in law, and found that the rim is ever so slightly thicker in one spot, a few 100th or so, but enough to give the pulsing sensation.

Is there anything to do about it? Can it somehow be machined off, or should I just leave it?

Its not a huuuge problem, here in Denmark its rather flat, so no serious decents or anything...Otherwise the wheelset is quite nice, and stiff....

I have an 86mm carbon rim that has a problem similar to yours. I greatly reduced the intensity of the pulse by lowering the brake pads so that they contact the very bottom of the brake track, and also made sure that the pads had a healthy toe in. This helped me quite a bit, it may work for you.Good luck

Very good. Spoke tensions were even and no spoke was rotated. Rear wheel is slightly out of true radially, but nothing to be alarmed about and probably easily fixable. The stiffness is also very good, with a far more direct feel than my Ultegra wheelset.

Hubs:

I'm underwhelmed by the Novatec hubs. The drive side of the rear axle is either off center or its diameter is less than NDS, which causes the wheel to sit crooked in the bike. Fixed by making a tin spacer to increase diameter. The rear bearings are also near death and developed a fair bit of play.

Braking:

There are many horror stories about carbon braking, and while I can see where they are coming from, it's more than good enough in the dry. With correct brake pad position, I can achieve 90% of alu braking performance in the dry.The rims do heat up a lot though, and they are not for prolonged braking. I did not notice brake fade, however.

Wet braking: Bad. The rims take a few revolutions to dry up, and only then you get some braking. Definitely needs improvement. A friend of mine on WW uses Campag red carbon pads and says the wet braking is greatly improved.

Aerodynamics:My riding style involves a lot of riding in the wind (read:breakaways) and these wheels were a great help. Especially above 40 kph the wheels make my job quite a bit easier. However it also makes its presence felt in crosswinds, I do get blown around a bit with these wheels. But it's not a huge concern.

I'm impressed. These wheels are my go-to for good days now, and I would definitely use them for racing. When the rainy season is over, I'll change the rear bearings to ceramic ones and breathe new life to the wheelset.

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Last edited by efeballi on Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

I wouldn't change anything. The price delta for DT240 hubs were too high, so I would opt for Novatec again. Worst case, I'll buy a new rear hub.The finish, the braking surface etc. are just how I wanted them to be, wouldn't change them.